Suggestions
Dustin Wax
Executive Director at The Burlesque Hall of Fame
Dustin M. Wax is an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He is a cultural anthropologist and museum professional, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Burlesque Hall of Fame. His expertise lies in cultural studies and museum practices, contributing to both academic and practical applications in these fields.1
Highlights
I meet people all the time who are interested in serving on a museum board, either mine or some other museum's. I always try to explain to them that sitting on the board is a) a lot of work, and b) not the "sexy" work. It's reviewing budgets and financial statements, evaluating the ED's performance, setting long-term goals, and doing a lot of outreach for fundraising. The "sexy" stuff, like cataloguing rare artifacts, putting together exhibitions, giving tours, designing educational and promotional materials, putting on special events, communicating the museum's work to members and donors -- all that is done by skilled professionals or well-trained volunteers. That said, board work is essential to the museum and can be quite rewarding, if you go into it with the right mindset. This article gives a good idea of what that mindset is and how to prepare yourself for museum board work.
BHoF is hiring a part-time museum assistant. The museum assistant’s primary responsibility is to staff the museum space: greeting and admitting visitors, selling merchandise, giving tours, and helping to keep the museum welcoming and tidy. Other responsibilities will be added depending on your talents and interests. We do a ton of training so don’t worry if you don’t know the history yet – you will!
The position will be for 18-22 hours a week (with very occasional longer hours). Schedule is flexible but we will require shifts on Sunday (11:30-5) and preferably Saturday. Starting pay is $13.50/hr.
BHoF is committed to the principle that “All bodies are burlesque bodies” and likewise, “All bodies are Burlesque Hall of Fame bodies.” We strongly encourage people of any and all racial or ethnic backgrounds, age, disability, gender expression, sexual orientation, or national origin to apply.
REQUIREMENTS
- Able to speak comfortably and personably with guests for up to 45 minutes at a time
- Able to work on a variety of tasks without close supervision
- Comfortable with burlesque as a topic and working with material that may be adult in nature
- Able to learn and accurately recall a large amount of factual information
- Basic money handling and computer skills
- 18 or older
- Local to Las Vegas
PLUSSES
(None of the below are required but would be nice to have and are things we can build future roles on)
- AA or higher degree in history, museum studies, anthropology, art history, women’s studies, or related field
- Knowledge of or interest in burlesque and burlesque history- Research skills, particularly historical and social research
- Strong computer skills, particularly with graphic design software, Wordpress, advanced word processing/spreadsheet skills, video, and/or social media
- Fundraising experience or interest in learning
- Museum/Nonprofit experience
- Bilingual Spanish-English
To apply, please email [email protected] with your resume and/or a cover letter highlighting your relevant background and skills. We're hoping to fill this position quickly so please apply as soon as you can.
We look forward to hearing from you!
